This invention relates to creaming apparatus and has application to sandwiching machines used in the production of biscuit (or cookie, in the United States of America) sandwiches comprising two biscuit shells having a layer of cream or like edible filling (hereinafter collectively called "cream") placed between them.
In known biscuit sandwiching machines, two rows of biscuit shells are carried by conveyors in side-by-side relationship; firstly beneath creaming means which apply cream simultaneously to two biscuit shells, and secondly beneath means for depositing another biscuit shell on top of each creamed shell, thus forming two sandwiches.
One well known form of creaming apparatus comprises a fixed stencil sleeve and a stencil tube rotatably mounted thereon. The stencil sleeve has at least two spaced-apart outlet ports with which downwardly-directed discharge orifices in the stencil tube are alignable as the latter is rotated, whereby cream supplied to the stencil sleeve is discharged sequentially from the stencil tube on to biscuit shells passing beneath in a timed manner.
The cream supply can be fed from both sides of the orifices in the stencil sleeve and valve means provided within the stencil sleeve for controlling the flow of cream through the discharge orifices.
There are times, such as on start-up of a production run, or upon re-start, after a break in operation, when the supply of cream to the stencil tube has to be purged of air so that an uninterrupted discharge of cream can be provided.
Hitherto, purging has been carried out in two separate stages, namely:
Firstly, by use of vent or purging valves disposed in the path(s) of the supply of cream to the apparatus or by disconnecting the supply pipe at a joint. This purges air from those parts of the supply system leading to the valves or stencil.
Secondly, by use of the apparatus as in a production run, whereby biscuit shells are caused to pass beneath the apparatus and cream is deposited on the shells until the deposits remain consistent. The creamed biscuit shells produced up to that time are scrapped.
The prime objects of the invention are to enable purging valves to be dispensed with and to avoid expensive wastage caused by scrapping of incompletely creamed biscuit shells.